Bridging the Employment Gap by Investing in Tomorrow’s Workforce—TODAY!
We need your partnership to continue building the workforce of the future and closing the employment gap.
Who We Are
The Empowerment Network and the City of Omaha, in collaboration with community partners, are creating meaningful opportunities for youth and young adults to gain valuable job training and real-world work experience during the summer and year-round.
Through this initiative, participants engage in job readiness training, paid work experiences, vocational exposure, career exploration, life skills development, and leadership growth.
STEP-UP OMAHA! recruits, trains, and places prepared Omaha youth and young adults ages 14 to 21 in mutually beneficial paid employment and career exploration opportunities. STEP-UP OMAHA! builds on the Empowerment Network and its community partners’ successes and has now supported the hiring and placement of over 9,000 youth and young adults.
Program Impact
Why This Matters
Based on their commitment to building a highly competitive workforce of the future, both the City of Omaha and the United Way of the Midlands have made significant investments to help expand the employment program.
With you and our valued partners, we will continue to build on the program’s success and expand our reach even further—and we invite you to be part of that impact. Our goal for Summer 2026 is to connect 1,000 youth and young adults to meaningful work experiences across the community.
The Program (Summer 2026)
Ages 14–15
Participate in a Career Exploration program.
Ages 16–18
Participate in a work experience and job training program.
Program Timeline:
- Employability Training: June 2 – June 12, 2026
- Worksite Experience: June 15 – July 31, 2026
Ages 19–21
Participate in Step-Up Omaha Connect—a training and placement program.
Program Details
- Participants are available to work 20 hours per week.
- Participants earn a minimum of $10 per hour (either by your organization or Step-Up Omaha!).
Beyond Summer: Year-Round Impact
Step-Up Omaha is more than a summer experience—it is a year-round workforce development pipeline designed to prepare Omaha youth and young adults for long-term success.
Following the summer program, participants have opportunities to stay engaged through continued work experiences, career exposure, skill-building, and leadership development. Year-round programming focuses on strengthening career pathways and helping participants transition into sustained employment, education, and training opportunities.
Through partnerships with employers, community organizations, and training providers, Step-Up Omaha continues to invest in talent development beyond the summer—ensuring participants remain connected, supported, and prepared for the workforce.
How You Can Invest in Step-Up Omaha
Here are four ways you can invest in this vitally important initiative:
Hire Participants
Provide a high-quality, structured work experience by hiring participants directly from the initiative.
Subsidize Opportunities
Provide subsidized or partially subsidized work experience opportunities to expand access for youth and young adults.
Sponsor Participants Financially
Participants will be placed at designated community-based worksites separate from your organization.
Make a Financial Contribution
Make a financial contribution to directly support and expand program impact.
Why We Do It
While Omaha’s overall unemployment rate remains low—around 3%—targeted areas within our community continue to experience significantly higher unemployment, with rates often ranging from 10% to 15%.
Data provided by the University of Nebraska Omaha shows that the program has worked. Teen unemployment has been drastically reduced in Omaha since the launch of Step-Up Omaha.
Another key reason for Step-Up Omaha is that employers are facing challenges recruiting and retaining employees to fill key positions. Step-Up Omaha helps bridge this gap and diversify the workforce by connecting talented youth and young adults to meaningful opportunities early.
Selected Partners & Supporters
African-American Achievement Council
American Family Insurance
American National Bank
Arby’s
AT&T
Bank of the West
Bellevue University
Big Mama’s Kitchen and Catering
Big Mama’s Sandwich Shop
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Building Bright Futures
Charles Drew Health Center
CHI Health
City of Omaha
Cox Communications
Creighton University
Goodwill
Habitat for Humanity
Henry Doorly Zoo
Hope Center for Kids
Methodist Hospital
Metropolitan Community College
Omaha Public Schools
Pinnacle Bank
Salvation Army
Urban League of Nebraska
UNMC
UPS
Weitz Foundation
Wells Fargo Bank
Walgreens
WoodmenLife
YMCA
Build With Us
This is more than a summer job program—it is a direct investment in Omaha’s future workforce. When you invest in Step-Up Omaha, you are helping develop talent, strengthen our community, and create lasting impact.